RTL to launch 4 Dutch HD channels

RTL Nederland will launch four HD channels after the summer, according John de Jong, its head of distribution. Speaking to the Dutch Totaal TV magazine, De Jong explained that all four Dutch channels – RTL4, RTL5, RTL7 and RTL8 – will be simulcast in HD. Earlier, the broadcaster said it was not ready to start HD broadcasting this year.

During the past few months, the play out facilities for the Dutch RTL channels have all been upgraded to handle HD output, paving the road for a full HD rollout. The four channels, which operate under a Luxembourg licence, will be uplinked using the BCE (Broadcasting Centre Europe) facilities in Luxembourg.

Negotiations are under way with all platforms, including UPC, Ziggo, Canal Digitaal, as well as the IPTV providers KPN and Tele2. Because of the investments in HD, RTL expects the distribution partners to pay for the HD signals.

Earlier, SBS Broadcasting also said it expects payments from distributors, as this will be the only way to pay for the additional costs of HD production and distribution. SBS is likely to launch Net 5 and Veronica first in HD, with the flagship channel SBS6 following at a later date.

Should both RTL and SBS launch their HD channels, Dutch viewers will see their choice of HD dramatically increase. The three Dutch public channels are set to make their debut this Sunday, July 5.

With the addition of the commercial channels, there will be nine national HD broadcasters.

Following the move, The Netherlands will be the first country in Europe in which all major broadcasters transmit in HD.

White Paper

yes Satellite is Israel’s leading pay TV service provider. Founded in July 2000, yes had since gained 580,000 subscribers, which comprise 38 percent of the Israeli pay TV market. yes is considered to be an innovative provider, introducing new services and technological advancements to its subscribers regularly, ahead of its competition. … [Download this White Paper...]

Speakers’ Corner

Intel’s acquisition of Lantiq is great news for everybody involved in the smart gateway field, for it will galvanise the market and win over anybody who still doubts that such a dedicated device on the premise will be essential for the intelligent connected home of the future. Related

The BBC has a report out called The Future of News. The authors are some of my most talented colleagues, and their work is as comprehensive and well-thought through as it is blunt in its assessment of how far and fast our industry needs to change. Related